


Not Dating

by ShaneVansen



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Drama, F/M, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-02-21
Updated: 2010-02-21
Packaged: 2017-10-07 11:01:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/64512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShaneVansen/pseuds/ShaneVansen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's not often that she gets to relax and be herself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Dating

**Author's Note:**

> My submission to LJ's [swficathon](http://community.livejournal.com/swficathon/). Written for 4jace, who requested, "Drama, romance, maybe a bit of angst. Not established relationship...first stages of falling in love. Just please don't leave me hanging. I get enough UST watching the show." I hope you like it! Huge thanks to Trialia for betaing, especially when she wasn't feeling well.
> 
> Also, Peanutbutterer gets a nod for unintentionally inspiring the final scene. She was poking her f-list for holiday fic and I'd started mulling over an idea which ended up working quite well here. Thank you for that!
> 
> Originally posted December 2006.

John arrives at her office unexpectedly to take her to lunch. That he invites her to the mess hall is not something new; over the years, Elizabeth has lost count of the number of times they've had meals together, usually at his insistence. What's unexpected is that she can think of nothing to prompt today's invitation.

It took her a while to catch on at first, but she eventually figured out the pattern to his seemingly random appearances. Whenever she's under a lot of stress – impending Wraith attack, teams missing off-world, Ancient devices developing minds of their own – he'll drag her (once, in a very memorable event, he tried to do so literally) away to eat, to get her mind off things for a few minutes or an hour.

There's no reason for him to be here today; the Wraith are currently leaving their little corner of the galaxy alone, all teams are home, safe and sound, and all Ancient devices are behaving themselves. She gives him a curious look but refrains from asking why he's there. Instead, she follows him willingly to the mess hall. They laugh and talk and she pretends not to notice when he steals fries from her plate. He doesn't say anything when she finishes off his iced tea.

**

A week later, he talks her into playing poker with his team.

It's not often that she gets to relax and be herself around anyone except John, but of all the people on Atlantis she probably feels the most comfortable with his team. She thinks it might have something to do with all the time she's spent visiting them in the infirmary.

Ronon doesn't have the patience necessary for the game and usually gives his hand away. Likewise, Rodney can rarely disguise when he gets a bad hand. Elizabeth amuses herself by imagining Ronon's reaction if she were to tell him he has something in common with the scientist.

Teyla has a phenomenal poker face and has nearly mastered the fine art of bluffing. It's not long before she manages to clean out Ronon and Rodney, and within another hour Elizabeth is also out of the game. She sits back with the two men and watches John and Teyla battle it out for the prize: the privilege of not having to do dishes for the next five missions, two chocolate bars, and the last of the popcorn. It takes half the night but John eventually emerges as the victor.

Even though it's out of his way, he walks her back to her quarters. She laughs quietly as they approach her door, mindful of all the people who are sleeping nearby. "I'm going to be exhausted tomorrow."

"Worth it?" There's an oddly intent look in his eyes that makes her blush for some unknown reason, even as she smiles.

"Definitely." Then she narrows her eyes in mock accusation. "But I'm blaming you if I doze off during a briefing tomorrow."

"I'll bring you coffee." He presses something into her hand and heads off down the hall, calling a quiet "good night" over his shoulder.

Elizabeth stares after him thoughtfully before looking down to see that he's left her one of his hard-won chocolate bars. With a slow smile, she waves a hand in front of the blue crystals and enters her room.

As promised, John brings her coffee in the morning.

**

Three days after that, he shows up in her office with an armful of paperwork. She eyes it warily, afraid it's going to end up in her never-ending To Do pile. He correctly interprets her expression, however, and hastens to put her mind at ease. "It's mine. I just got sick of being stuck in my office so I thought I could work here."

She raises an inquisitive eyebrow. "Stuck in your office with the floor-to-ceiling windows and the amazing view?" she questions rhetorically. If she didn't have to be so close to the control room, she would have claimed his office as her own long ago. As it is, she sometimes stops by with made-up excuses just so she can appreciate the view, especially after dark.

For his part, John merely shrugs before settling in to work. By the time he leaves to oversee a training session with his men, Elizabeth is surprised to learn that half the day is already gone.

**

He takes her to see Sam.

Elizabeth's a bit wary, at first. She still remembers in too-vivid detail the piercing headaches prompted by the hundreds of whales that journeyed to Atlantis not so long ago. But John manages to convince her that Sam doesn't pose a threat, so she climbs into the jumper and they dive under the water.

Though intellectually she knows the size of the creature, Elizabeth is still awed by its magnitude. In spite of its bulk, the whale moves with a grace that's mesmerizing.

"Glad you came?"

She turns to face John, smiling. "Thank you for bringing me."

He ducks his head, reaching out as if to touch her before he aborts the movement, pulling back his hand. "Anytime."

She knows he means it.

**

It takes three more months and an off-hand comment from Rodney before Elizabeth understands that she and John are dating.

The realization stuns her and she abruptly begins avoiding John as much as their respective positions allow. She needs the space to work things out, to try to figure out how and when this started, how she feels about it, and if John is aware of it.

She can't avoid him forever, of course, and the look in his eyes each and every time she rebuffs his invitation leaves her feeling confused and guilty. So eventually she begins to say yes again.

Things are strained at first, because Elizabeth is far too aware of every look, every smile, every comment, every touch; she's trying to analyze it all, looking for a hidden meaning to each. It all becomes too much, however, and all of a sudden she uncharacteristically decides, _Screw it_. And gradually, things return to normal.

They continue not-dating.

**

She's hovering at John's bedside in the infirmary, not quite sure what to do.

Carson has already assured her that he'll be fine; they're just waiting for the sedative to wear off. In the past, Elizabeth would have gone back to her office or to meetings until he woke up. Now that they're not-dating, however, she finds that she wants to stay, even though logically there's nothing about her presence that will speed the process along. It's just a slight shift in her priorities, nothing life altering, but it still scares her.

John makes the decision for her by waking. She takes the few steps necessary to put her in his line of sight. "What the hell were you thinking?" are the first words out of her mouth, though they lack heat.

He blinks up at her, looking groggy from the meds. "That I didn't know there were six more of them waiting around the corner? And hello to you too." His face screws up into a grimace of pain when he tries to sit up and Elizabeth presses a hand to his shoulder, urging him to lie still. "Are the others okay?" he adds, obeying her for once and settling back into the pillow.

"They're fine. Rodney keeps insisting he broke a rib but Carson said he's not even bruised. Ronon and Teyla don't have so much as a scratch on them." With a start, she realizes that she's trailed her hand from his shoulder down his arm and is now playing with his fingers. Blushing, she tries to pull her hand away, but John won't let her. Almost shyly – which, quite honestly, is ridiculous – she meets his eyes. "You scared the hell out of me. You promised to stop doing that." Her mouth blurts out the words without permission from her brain.

"Sorry." He really does look apologetic. He also looks like he's half asleep again. "How 'bout if I promise to try harder?"

She can't help but smile at that. "I suppose that will have to do." His eyes are barely open now, and she lifts the hand not captured by his to touch his cheek. "Go to sleep, John."

He stirs slightly, turning into her palm. "'M not tired."

Elizabeth just smiles and sits with him until he falls asleep.

**

On New Year's Eve – one that marks the cusp of their arrival on Atlantis and has nothing to do with Earth's calendar – she finds John out on the balcony.

Elizabeth's been making the rounds for a few hours now and steps outside to escape the press of bodies; she's never been one to feel comfortable in crowds for very long. John is sitting with his back to the ocean, leaning against the railing. "'Lizabeth!" he greets her cheerfully, patting the ground next to him. "Come have a seat!"

His voice is overly exuberant, his words a bit slurred, and she suspects he's had a glass or two too many. That doesn't stop her from sliding down to sit next to him, however, his shoulder warm against hers in the chill night air. "Have you seen Zelenka?" she asks, gesturing to the closed balcony doors and, by extension, the party beyond.

"I know! I don't think I've ever seen McKay's face that red." He winks at her, and Elizabeth wonders if she's imagining the glassiness of his eyes. "I've got some of it on video. This is going to make great blackmail material."

The crowd inside begins to count down and Elizabeth looks at her watch, surprised to learn it's already so late. "Happy new year," she murmurs to John as they hit zero. On impulse she leans toward him, intending to press a brief, friendly kiss to his lips.

Her intentions are completely shot when John lifts a hand to cup the back of her head, holding her to him. He tilts his head and what was supposed to be a quick gesture of celebration becomes a series of slow, heated kisses that leave Elizabeth feeling flushed. Then she parts her lips and his tongue is stroking sensuously against hers and, god, all she wants is _more_.

She's very nearly gasping for breath when they finally part, her heart pounding and her stomach fluttering in a way she hasn't experienced in a very long time.

When she meets John's eyes, they are clear and completely sober. Then he draws her close again, and Elizabeth lets herself get lost in him.

With the start of the new year, they stop not-dating and begin dating.

_\--end--_


End file.
